Ingredients
Cooking spray
4 c. packed baby spinach (about 4 oz.)
3 c. chopped rotisserie chicken (from 1 rotisserie chicken)
1 (24-oz.) jar marinara sauce or 3 c. homemade marinara
3/4 lb. fusilli pasta
8 oz. fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/2" cubes
1/4 c. packed fresh basil, chopped, plus whole leaves for serving
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3 c. water
1 (15-oz.) container whole-milk ricotta cheese (about 2 c.)
1/4 c. grated Parmesan (from about 1 oz.)
Preparation
Step 1Preheat oven to 400º. Grease a 13"-by-9" baking dish with cooking spray.Step 2In prepared dish, combine spinach, chicken, marinara, pasta, mozzarella, basil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Top with water and stir until well combined. Spread in an even layer and dollop ricotta over top, then sprinkle with Parmesan.Step 3Tightly cover dish with foil. Bake until pasta is about half cooked and sauce is bubbling, 35 to 40 minutes. Uncover and continue to bake until pasta is cooked through and sauce is bubbly (sauce will continue to thicken as it cools), 10 to 15 minutes more. Let cool 15 minutes. Top with more basil.
An ode to baked ziti, this dish is amped up with chicken and spinach and features fun, twirly fusilli pasta rather than ziti. Of course, if you like, you can use another short pasta like ziti, penne, or orecchiette instead. You can mix up the meat too. Substitute cooked, crumbled sausage or cooked ground beef for the rotisserie chicken, or leave the meat out entirely for a vegetarian version.
